Winemakers Dinner nets $80,000 for local nonprofits

This year’s Atascadero Mayor’s Winemaker Dinner on Friday, June 22 raised around $80,000 for Lighthouse Foundation and Kiwanis Club of Atascadero. The Kiwanis Club has organized the winemaker dinner for 10 years. “Every year, [the Kiwanis Club] pick a different nonprofit and this year they chose the Lighthouse Foundation,” Atascadero Chamber of Commerce CEO Derek Kirk said. Kiwanis Club member and club treasurer Mark Dariz said that the club had pledged $30,000 to the Lighthouse Foundation, he added that it’s possible that the club could give more due to the amount raised this year. In 2017, $57,000 was raised at the winemaker dinner. Dariz said that each year more and more money is brought in.

“It was nice to see so many community members out supporting Kiwanis and the community,” Kirk said.

Dariz said that not much changed from last year to this year’s event except for the amount raised. This year’s dinner included 33 tables, each with its own winemaker and representative and six guests, enjoyed a gourmet dinner, local wine, live and silent auctions and a fund-a-cause auction, which raised money for Lighthouse Atascadero Mentoring Program. LAMP trains high school students to mentor middle school students. “It’s all about getting the kids involved,”Dariz said. Next year’s Mayor’s Winemaker Dinner will be held on Friday, June 21 at the Atascadero Pavilion on the Lake. For more information, go to AtascaderoKiwanis.org.